Catch



Jun 7, 1949. R, A, T N 2,472,498

CATCH Filed March 29, 1946 IIIIIIIIIIIIIII YIIIIIIIIIIIII/ III IN V EN TOR.

Patented June 7, 1949 CATCH Roy A. Stone,

Lock Company, Delaware Rockford, 111., assignor to National Rockford, 111., a corporation of Application March 29, 1946, Serial No. 658,175

This invention relates to catches of the type adapted for use on articles of metal furniture, such as cabinets and the like, for releasably holding the doors of such articles in closed position.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a catch of the character indicated which can :be economically manufactured and which can be very readily and quickly mounted in an opening of a metal wall of a cabinet or the like.

Another object of my invention is to provide a catch which will project inwardly from the cabinet in which it is mounted a minimum distance, and which will embody pivotally mounted spring actuated self-centering clamping and holding jaws adapted to receive and hold a strike inserted therebetween.

Other purposes and advantageous features of my invention should be appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing.

Referring to the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a fragmental perspective view of a cabinet equipped with my invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged face view of the mounted catch of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an elevation looking toward the right on the line 44 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a plan view partially in section on the line 55 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the catch shown as partially inserted through an opening in the wall in which it is to be mounted.

On the drawing reference character I indicates the metal frame or stile of a door opening adapted to be closed by the hollow metal door 8 of well known construction equipped with a strike 9 threaded or otherwise anchored to the inner face of the door.

The metal wall I is provided with an openin I l adapted to receive the catch, and opposite walls of this opening are provided with notches l2 to receive the complemental shanks, to be later described, formed on the body of the catch.

The catch comprises a body of sheet metal hav-- ing a pair of relatively long side walls and a pair of relatively short end walls forming ears, a pair of clamping and holding jaws, a pintle upon which said jaws are pivotally mounted, and a spring for biasing said jaws into holding position.

The body of the catch is made from a fiat piece of sheet metal formed to provide a base l3, preferabl having a central aperture l4, two side walls 4 Claims. (Cl. 29218) 2 l5, and short end walls l5, commonly designated as cars. These end walls or ears are connected by a pintle l1 upon which is pivotally mounted a pair of opposed holding jaws l8 which are urged into holding position by a spring [9 mounted on the pintle with its ends 2| shaped to engage the inner ends of the jaws, as best shown in Fig. 3.

It will be apparent that the action of the spring not only urges the outer ends of the jaws toward each other into clamping relation, but this spring mounting also affords flexibility for the jaws which enables them to swing upon the pintle into position to readily receive the strike 9 between them regardless of inaccuracies of alignment between the strike and the catch.

The side walls l5 are reduced in width near their outer extremities to provide shanks 22 adapted to enter the notches I2 of the wall opening II, the extremities of these side walls beyond the shanks being outwardly turned to provide tangs 23 adapted to overlie the opposite margins of the wall opening H to limit the projection of the catch body through the opening. When the shanks 22 are engaged in the notches I2, the shoulders 24 of the walls engage the inner surface of the wall I at each side of the notches, as best illustrated in Fig. 5, thereby preventing outward displacement of the body from the wall opening so long as the shanks remain engaged in the notches. The resiliency of the metal of which the body is formed biases the side walls into the separated position illustrated in Fig. 3 so as to automatically lock and retain the body in the wall opening.

The mounting of the catch in the wall opening is readily accomplished by simply inserting the body base first through the openin II, as indicated in Fig. 6. As the body is pushed through this opening the walls I5 are pressed together until the body is fully inserted to bring the tangs 23 into engagement with the outer face of the wall opening margins, in which position the walls [5 will spring outwardly to dispose the shanks 22 in the notches l2 of the wall opening and position the shoulders 24 in abutting relation to the inner face of the metal wall I. The body is thereby automatically locked against displacement from the opening and the jaws are presented in substantial alignment with and in position to receive the strike 9.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that I have provided a catch which is simple in construction, economical to manufacture, and which can be very quickly and readily mounted and removed from its mounting when necessary for purposes of replacement or repairs.

The structural details illustrated and described may be modified within considerable limits without exceeding the scope of my invention as defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A catch adapted to be mounted in an opening in a metal wall, comprising an integral body formed of sheet metal shaped to provide a base, a pair of oppositely disposed resilient walls projecting outwardly therefrom and provided at the outer ends thereof with means for engaging the margins of said wall opening to lock the body to said metal wall and a pair of oppositely disposed ears projectin outwardly from said base, a pintle connecting said ears, a pair of holding and clamp,- ing jaws pivoted on said pintle, and a spring urging said jaws into clamping relation.

2. A catch adapted to be mounted in an opening in a metal wall, comprising an integral body formed from sheet metal shaped to provide a base, a pair of oppositely disposed ears and a pair of resilient diverging side walls provided adjacent the free ends thereof with means tor locking said body in position in said opening, a pintle conmeeting said ears, a pair of clamping and holding jaws pivotally mounted on said pintle, and a coil spring surrounding the pintle and having the ends thereof shaped to engage the inner ends of said jaws for biasing said jaws toward each other.

3. A catchadapted to be mounted an opening in a metal wall, said opening being provided with oppositely disposed notches, said catch being formed of resilient sheet metal and comprising a pair of diverging side walls having portions adapted to engage in said notches of the opening, a pair of ears disposed at right angles to said side walls, and a pair of clamping jaws pivotally mounted on and between said ears.

4. A catch adapted to be received in a preformed opening in a wall member having notches formed in the wall margins defining the opening and, comprising a body formed of sheet metal shaped to provide a base, a pair of side walls projec'ting therefrom and a pair of ears disposed at right angles to said side walls, a pintle connecting said ears, a pair of clamping jaws pivotally mounted, on said pintle, a sprin for urging said jaws into clamping relation, and means carried by said side walls and engageable in said notches of the wall member opening whereby said body issutomatically locked in mounted position upon insertion of the body into said opening.

ROY A. STONE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2169,691 Hammer Aug. 15, 1939 21,244,344 North et a] June 3, 1941 

